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How does custom 3D figurine printing from a photo work in Singapore?

By Dalmia Adithya

Updated

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A painter hand-painting a small resin monk figurine seated on a red lotus base, brush in hand

Custom 3D figurine printing in Singapore starts with two or three clear phone photos, which become character artwork and then a 3D preview you approve before anything prints. We then print the figurine and hand-paint it in about four weeks, or colour-print it in about a week. Here is each step, with the real prices and timing.

What to send

Two or three photos per person: a front view and a side view in good, even light. Add a picture of anything you want in the scene, like a guitar, a football kit or a graduation gown. For pets, one full-body shot and one clear face shot are enough.

Four hand-painted dog figurines, a terrier, a black poodle, a corgi and a cream poodle, sitting side by side on one grass base
Four dogs on one base, each sculpted from the owner's photos.

You do not need a professional shoot: a sharp, well-lit phone photo beats a blurry studio portrait. For a personal, couple or pet piece, upload your pictures straight into the Mini Me Studio, approve the artwork and a 3D preview, and order online from S$299. For examples and the price menu, see our custom figurines page.

Your artwork and 3D preview, approved before we print

Your photos become stylised character artwork first, the blueprint your figurine is sculpted from. Faces are simplified rather than photo-real, which keeps the finished piece warm instead of uncanny. You refine it until it looks right: hair, glasses, outfit, colours and pose.

Character artwork of a smiling chibi monk meditating on a red lotus, the design approved before printing
The artwork you approve
The finished hand-painted monk figurine on its red lotus base, inside a clear acrylic display case
The piece made from it

Then comes a 3D preview of the sculpted model on its base, which you spin and check from every angle. Nothing prints, and nothing is charged, until both are approved. Judge the likeness for yourself in our real-life couple model replication.

The 3D preview of the monk figurine: a plain grey-blue model of the monk seated on its lotus base, shown inside an outline of its display case
The monk's 3D preview: a plain model you turn and check before anything prints.

If you want a precise, true-to-spec copy of a product, vehicle or building rather than a stylised character, that is scale model work, quoted separately.

How it is printed and coloured

You pick the style before you start. The hand-painted styles, Animated and Realistic, are printed in stereolithography (SLA) resin, which cures liquid resin layer by layer under a laser and holds spectacles, fingers, fur and clothing folds. Colour Print is printed in colour on a filament printer, so the colour is in the plastic. Paint your own comes unpainted, ready for you to paint. Our guide to fused deposition modeling (FDM), SLA and selective laser sintering (SLS) explains why resin wins for the finest detail.

A white resin print of the monk figurine on its lotus base before painting, showing the sculpted face, hands and robe folds
The monk in white resin, before any paint. See the project

Hand-painting

The Animated and Realistic styles are painted by hand. The print is primed, base colours are sprayed on, then brushwork picks out skin tones, hair, clothing and small details matched to your photos, and a protective seal goes over the top. Our painting and surface finishes guide covers the priming and preparation before the paint.

Close-up of the hand-painted monk figurine's face, with closed eyes, soft blush and a smile, above a red robe
Eyebrows and lash lines are painted freehand. See the project

Sizes and pricing

Personal pieces have fixed, upfront pricing through the Mini Me Studio. A single hand-painted figurine starts from S$299 for up to 15cm and S$399 for up to 20cm, each including the artwork proof, the 3D preview, hand-painting and a display base. Each extra person or pet in a scene is charged as a share of a whole model. The full price list is on the Mini Me page; you see the total in the browser, with no quote to wait for.

An unpainted white 3D printed figurine of a couple embracing, the man in glasses, standing on artificial grass
Two people, sculpted as one scene. See the project

For 20 or more identical figurines, such as mascots and milestone batches, we cast from a silicone master: the mould is priced once and each cast per piece (see pricing). Those are quoted per project.

Turnaround

A hand-painted figurine takes about four weeks from the moment you approve the 3D preview (a printed one about a week), plus however long you spend on the artwork and preview rounds. Tell us your date: proposals, weddings and farewells have deadlines, and rush options are available.

Who orders these

Wedding couples, for cake toppers and anniversary keepsakes. Pet owners, as a birthday surprise or a memorial. Families marking a graduation or a retirement. And companies bringing a mascot or a milestone to life, cast from a silicone master for batches of 20 or more, as with the Shure 100th-anniversary figurines. Brand-character and batch work sits under our 3D figurines service.

A painted microphone mascot figurine in a black bucket hat and round sunglasses, singing into a mic on a stand, on a green base marked SHURE 100 YEARS
One of Shure's 100th-anniversary mascots. See the project

Start with your photos

You are two or three pictures away from a finished piece. Upload them to the Mini Me Studio, approve the artwork and the 3D preview, and order online from S$299. For bespoke briefs, brand characters and batch runs, browse the 3D figurines service or get in touch with your photos attached.

Frequently asked

What photos do I need for a custom figurine?

Two or three clear photos per person work best, ideally a front view and a side view in good, even light, plus a picture of anything you want included, like a guitar or a jersey. For pets, one full-body shot and one clear face shot are enough. Phone photos are fine as long as the subject is sharp and well lit; professional photography is not required.

How much does 3D figurine printing cost in Singapore?

A single hand-painted figurine starts from S$299 for up to 15cm through our Mini Me Studio, including the character-artwork proof, the 3D preview, hand-painting and a display base. Up to 20cm is S$399. Each extra person or pet in the same scene is charged as a share of a whole model rather than a flat fee, and a scene of three or more starts at the 20cm size so each subject stays paintable. Every hand-painted figurine is painted to the same standard, with the paintwork included in the price, so there is no quote to wait for and nothing to add on; you see the total in the browser. For 20 or more identical figurines we cast from a silicone master, with the mould priced once and each cast priced per piece, quoted per project.

How long does a photo-to-figurine order take?

A hand-painted figurine takes about four weeks from the moment you approve the 3D preview (a printed one about a week), plus the time you spend on the artwork and preview rounds, which is up to you. Everything is approved online before anything prints, so there are no surprises. Rush options are available for gifting deadlines, so tell us the date when you order.

What size are custom 3D printed figurines?

Hand-painted studio figurines come in two sizes, up to 15cm or 20cm tall, printed in stereolithography (SLA) resin for smooth, fine detail. Colour Print is printed in colour on a filament printer, and Paint your own comes unpainted, ready for you to paint. Bespoke pieces can go larger, printed in sections and bonded, so a bigger centrepiece is possible if the occasion calls for it. Fine features like spectacles, fingers and clothing folds hold up well even at the smaller end of that range.

CustomisationFinishing3D printing technologyQuoting & ordering

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